A garden in Long An province that was rumored 7 years ago to have an ability to treat various diseases, has been crowded again recently, with hundreds of people coming everyday, authorities reported. 

After several months of cooling down, people have begun to flock to the garden in Duc Lap Thuong Commune, Duc Hoa district, Long An Province, again since they consider it to be a “magical garden” that can rid them of diseases, said Nguyen Thi Thuy Trang, deputy chairman of the commune.

The garden’s owner is Nguyen Van Song, whose daughter Nguyen Thi Kim Hong was rumored in 2004 to be able to treat diseases, such as rheumatism, paralysis, and even cancer, in a superstitious manner.

The visitors drank water from a well in the garden that they believe was able to treat diseases.

The 2,000 square meter garden now receives about 400 people per day from different localities, including HCMC, Long An, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Bac Lieu, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, and Hanoi.

The gatherings have caused security and order in the area to become a complex issue, since many people have taken advantage of the opportunity to offer transport services, set up eateries and rent houses, Trang said.

Last May, when the garden was flooded with numerous people, local authorities, police, relevant agencies and scientists rejected the rumor of the healing garden, the superstitious people returned home.

This time, the local authorities are once again trying to persuade the crowd to leave the garden.

In 2004, it was rumored that the garden had a “biological power” that helped cure people of their diseases.

Hong asked her patients to say their prayers at the garden to recover from their illnesses, without having to use any medicine.

The photo taken on May 31, 2011 shows many people staying in the garden (Photo: Tuoi Tre)

In September 2004, the number of people gathered in the garden once amounted to 700 per day.

Her patients at that time did not know that Hong had been arrested in June 2003 and was later sentenced to 12 months imprisonment by the Long An Province People’s Court for superstitious practices.

After serving her sentences she falsely claimed that her body had the ability of self-illumination, a superstition that was spread by many people.

Since many people said that the garden had a mysterious power that helped them recover from illnesses, even by simply walking around the garden, many concerned agencies launched surveys of the garden and later affirmed that its was just like any other garden.

In October 2005, Vo Thi Ngoan, Song’s wife, and five other people were detained for several months by local police in the province’s Duc Hoa District for provoking others to cause public disorder and act against law enforcement officers who came to persuade the superstitious people to leave the garden.

Ngoan, who is 66 years old, and three of the people were released several months later.

source from: tuoitrenews

Bombers targeted staff at Israel’s embassies in India and Georgia on Monday, wounding four people, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of involvement.

The New Delhi bomb wrecked a vehicle with diplomatic plates and Israel’s parliamentary television channel said the wife of Israel’s defence attache and her driver were among four people hurt. The Tbilisi bomb was defused safely by Georgian police.

Israel had put its foreign missions on especially high alert ahead of the February 12 anniversary of the assassination, in 2008, of the military mastermind of Lebanon’s Hezbollah guerrillas, Imad Moughniyeh.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah had vowed to avenge Moughniyeh’s death in a Damascus car-bombing, blaming it on the Jewish state.

Israel is also believed to be locked in a wider covert war with Iran, whose nuclear programme has been beset by sabotage, including the unclaimed killings of several scientists.

“Iran, which stands behind these attacks, is the largest exporter of terror in the world,” Netanyahu told lawmakers from his Likud party in Jerusalem.

He linked the incidents to allegations of similar but foiled attacks in Thailand and Azerbaijan last month for which, he said, Iran and its “proxy” Hezbollah were responsible.

There was no immediate comment from Tehran or Beirut.

The New Delhi blast took place some 500 metres from the official residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“I heard a bomb blast near the petrol pump. I went to see what happened and the next thing I saw was the car ablaze. There was a lady and a driver inside the car. The people pulled them out of the car,” said Ravi Singh, a witness.

A number of witnesses told TV channels they saw two people on a motorbike sticking a device onto the rear of the car when it stopped at a traffic signal.

Georgian police prevented a similar incident, defusing a bomb found in a car of an Israeli embassy staff member.

Thailand said last month it had arrested a Lebanese man who had links with Hezbollah and a confiscated cache of explosives. Israel responded by urging its citizens to exercise caution while visiting Thailand.

Separately last month, authorities in Azerbaijan arrested two people suspected of plotting to attack Israel’s ambassador and a local rabbi.

In a January 24 speech, Israel’s military chief, Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz, accused Hezbollah of trying to carry out proxy attacks while avoiding direct confrontation. Israel and Hezbollah fought an inconclusive and costly war in 2006.

“During this period of time, when our enemies in the north avoid carrying out attacks, fearing a harsh response, we are witnesses to the ongoing attempts by Hezbollah and other hostile entities to execute vicious terror attacks at locations far away from the state of Israel,” Gantz said.

“I suggest that no one test our resolve.”

source from: tuoitrenews

Singer Adele accepts her award for “Best Pop Solo Performace” for “Someone Like You” at the 54th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California, February 12, 2012. Photo by Reuters.

Houston’s death on the eve of the awards forced a delicate balance between the exuberance of the show’s winners and performances with the loss.

Adele, who owned the year’s best-selling album with “21,” was triumphant in her first performance since vocal cord surgery forced the cancellation of a tour and months of vocal rest. As the world wondered whether her voice would still soar, she answered with her performance of her hit “Rolling in the Deep,” and received a sustained standing ovation from the crowd.

The song also won her one of the night’s most prestigious awards, song of the year. Another song from that album, “Someone Like You,” earned her best pop solo performance.

“I can’t believe I’m getting emotional already,” she said after picking up the latter award. “And seeing as it’s a vocal performance, I need to thank my doctors, I suppose, who brought my voice back.”

Adele’s CD “21″ also won best pop vocal album. The night’s other big winners, the Foo Fighters, noted that they made their album “Wasting Light” in a garage.

“To me this award means a lot because it shows that the human element of making music is what’s most important. Singing into a microphone, learning to play an instrument and learning to do your craft, that’s the most important thing for people to do,” he said as the band accepted their best rock performance trophy for “Walk.” ”It’s not about being perfect. It’s not about sounding absolutely correct. It’s not about what goes on in a computer. It’s about what goes on in here (your heart) and what goes on here (your head). … Long live rock ‘n’ roll!”

Among the evening’s performances was a dance-heavy number by Chris Brown, a performance by Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen, who kicked off the show by performing his new song “We Take Care of Our Own,” a rousing song that references the troubles of the nation.

But the evening’s most moving moment came as Jennifer Hudson — who has called Houston an inspiration and one of her biggest idols — emerged to sing one of Houston’s signature songs, “I Will Always Love You.” Dressed in black, with only the accompaniment of a piano, Hudson appeared to fight back tears as she sang the song, ending with the line, “Whitney, we will always love you.”

The show started off on a somber note, as host LL Cool J appeared in black, and told the audience: “There is no way around this. We’ve had a death in our family.”

He then led the audience in prayer to “our fallen sister, Whitney Houston.

“Heavenly father, we thank you for sharing our sister Whitney with us,” he said, as celebrities like Lady Gaga and Miranda Lambert bowed their heads in prayer. “Though she is gone too soon, we remain truly blessed to have been touched by her beautiful spirit.”

He introduced a clip of a glowing Houston singing “I Will Always Love You.” LL Cool said afterward. In his performance of “Runaway Baby,” Bruno Mars also mentioned the death: “Tonight we’re celebrating. Tonight we’re celebrating the beautiful Miss Whitney Houston.”

And Stevie Wonder said: “To Whitney up in heaven, we all love you.”

Houston died on the eve of the Grammys at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where she was preparing to attend a pre-Grammy party. Still, while Houston’s death cast a shadow over the night’s winners, it did not obscure them. Among them was Chris Brown, who was performing on the stage for the first time since he dropped out of 2009′s broadcast; his attack on Rihanna the night before led to both their absences, an assault charge for Brown and a career low.

But 2011 marked an amazing comeback for Brown and he was rewarded with two planned performances during the show, the first time he and Rihanna performed at the same event since the attack (she sang solo and with Coldplay during the ceremony).

Brown also won best R&B album: “First and foremost, I gotta thank God, and thank the Grammys for letting me get on this stage and do my thing,” he said “All my fans, I love you. We got one. Thank you.”

Justin Vernon, whose band Bon Iver beat Nicki Minaj, The Band Perry, J. Cole and Skrillex for best new artist, accepted the award with admittedly mixed emotions.

“It’s really hard to accept this award. Well, there’s so much talent out here, like on this stage. There’s a lot of talent that’s not here tonight. It’s also hard to accept because when I started to make songs I did it for the inherent reward of making songs, so I’m a little bit uncomfortable up here,” he said. “But with that discomfort I do have a sense of gratitude. I want to say thank you to all the nominees, all the non-nominees that have never been here and never will be here.”

The Grammys did their best to keep a tone that balanced the many moods of the night: The Foo Fighters performed in a tent outside the Staples Center, where the awards were being held, amid a throng of bouncing fans; but moments earlier, Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt paid tribute to Etta James, the legend who died last month.

There was also a tribute to the recently reunited Beach Boys that featured Maroon 5, Foster the People and Mike Love, Al Jardine and Brian Wilson, the three remaining members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band, all pitch-perfect as they brought the groups California rock sound and harmonies back to life.

Glen Campbell, who announced his retirement last year after disclosing he had Alzheimer’s disease, also performed withThe Band Perry and Blake Shelton, singing his classic hit, “Rhinestone Cowboy.”

source from: dtinews

Produced by US-based Coco Paris LLC, the film was directed and written by overseas Vietnamese Le Van Kiet, who graduated from the University of California , Los Angeles.

Kiet began to write the screenplay at the end of 2010 when he was staying in HCM City.

“The idea for the movie came out of an old two-storey house in a small valley in District 3 which I rented when I stayed in Vietnam ,” Kiet said.

The movie features the life of a young couple, a housewife and a businessman, after they lose their first child.

The wife, Thao, is in such grief that she keeps a coffin of the child’s corpse in her bedroom. Day by day, she becomes depressed and obsessed that her child is stolen from her.

Her husband, Thanh, tries to help his wife, but his efforts lead things out of control.

The couple are forced to fight against strange forces in their house.

Producer Tran Trong Dan said the movie shows that a sudden event can destroy people’s lives.

“People need love and strength to put their life together again,” he added.

Film stars actress Ngo Thanh Van and actor Tran Bao Son play the leading female and male roles.

“Thao is a complicated character,” said Van, who starred in Dong Mau Anh Hung (Rebel) and Bay Rong (Clash).

She said the role is a challenge for her after two years of not filming.

Although House in the Alley has not been shown in Vietnam , it has received invitations to join several US film festivals, including the Tribeca Film Festival in New York , Seattle International Film, Fantastic Festival in Houston, and Hawaii Film Festival.

The film’s director and producer are continuing to cooperate in making another horror film Bay Cap 3 (The Level-3 Trap).

The film is about a group of young people from HCM City touring Da Lat and encountering strange situations there.

Dan said he has always wanted to make a film in Da Lat where he was born and grew up. The film is expected to be released later this year.

source from: dtinews

Beauty pageant observer website Globalbeauties has recently announced its annual beauty ranking Miss Grand Slam spotlighting the most beautiful faces of the year, Tien Phong Newspaper reported Friday.

Vietnamese beauties Daniela Nguyen Thu May, Truong Tri Truc Diem and Le Huynh Thuy Ngan made it to the top 100 ranking, which Globalbeauties chose from thousands of contestants who competed at 6 biggest international beauty pageants in 2011.

Those are Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss International, Miss Earth, Miss International Tourism and Miss Supranational.

Daniela Nguyen Thu May who came forth at Miss Supranational is ranked at 58th, while Truc Diem, who finished in Top 15 of Miss International, is placed at No. 79.

Thuy Ngan, who made it to the top 20 of Miss International Tourism recently held in China, comes last at No. 98.

According to the ranking, five winners of the world’s 6 premiere international beauty pageants have all made it to the top 20, while only Kantapat Peeradachainarin, Miss International Tourism 2011, is ousted from the list.

Of the top 20 beauties, seven come from Europe and America each, four from Asia, one from Africa and one from Australia.

This year’s ranking comes as a disappointment to local observers as Vietnam made a much more impressive showing in previous years.

In 2010, Luu Thi Diem Duong, Miss World Vietnam 2010, was placed at No. 17 in the top 20 and Huong Giang, who made it to Top 16 Miss World 2009, was crowned Miss Asian Grand Slam the same year.

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1) Cau Ghenh train crash (February 6)

Two people died on the spot and 26 others were injured when the S2 train heading for Hanoi smashed into six vehicles stuck on the railway track that runs along the Ghenh Bridge in Bien Hoa city near Ho Chi Minh City.

Passengers stuck in the traffic jam had to scramble out of their vehicles as the train moved forward while others screamed and ran away, creating a massive stampede.
This is the worst railway accident ever in Bien Hoa – the capital town of Dong Nai province, local police said.

Prosecuting authorities indicted seven in connection with the train crash.

2) Ha Long Bay boat disaster (February 17)

12 tourists died from 9 nations died after a tourist boat sank in Vietnam’s picturesque Ha Long Bay.

There were 26 people aboard the ship at the time including one captain, four crew members, one tour guide, and 20 foreign tourists.

According to initial sources, a wooden board in the engine room became cracked, letting sea water in, causing the boat to capsize.

Colonel Vu Chi Thuc, director of Quang Ninh police said initial examination showed that 27-year-old Do Van Thang, a crew member in charge of engine, forgot to close the valves that allowed water in to cool the engine on both sides of the boat.

With the engine turned off, a pump on board the boat could not be activated to push the water out.

When the main pipe was broken, water flooded into the compartments one by one, inundating and sinking the ship.

Thang was later arrested along with his superior – captain Nguyen Van Minh, 22. Both were charged with “irresponsibility causing serious consequences.”

According to investigation findings, the captain and other crew members skipped their night patrol. When they discovered water was flooding in, it was too late.

3) Terrible train crash in Hanoi (March 30)

A train crash at a crossing in Hanoi’s Thuong Tin district killed 9 passengers on a 16-seat Toyota and injured six others in late March.

Witnesses said the driver intentionally crossed the red light when the Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi train was fast approaching.

Local prosecutors charged the driver Nguyen The Hung for the crime of “traffic violation that causes serious damages.”

4) Tragic Len Co rockslide (April 1)

The quarry collapse in Len Co Mountain in Nghe An central province killed 18 workers, including 11 women, and seriously injured 6 others after they were buried under 1,000 cubic meters of rock.

At the time of the collapse, the company had 5 rock mining areas operational at the foot of the mountain.

The tragedy might have been caused by the technical faults of the company’s exploitation team that weakened the structure of the mine, according to investigators.

5) Din Ky tour boat disaster (May 20)

Among 32 guests attending a child birthday party on Din Ky double-decker tour ship, 16 people, including five children, drowned after the ship capsized amid strong winds on Saigon River.

Two Chinese tourists were among the perished.

Not a victim was saved although 100 policemen and rescuers were immediately sent to the scene.

The party was thrown aboard the boat by Quach Luong Tai, a businessman, to celebrate the birthday of his 3-year-old son Quach Hong Dat.

The father managed to survive, but his six family members — including his wife, two children, two of his brothers, and his mother-in-law — all lost their lives in the accident.

6) Deadly accident on Trung Luong expressway (June 13)

Eight people died and 10 others were injured in a horrific accident on the high-speed Trung Luong Expressway in Long An Province when a van slammed into a truck from behind.

According to investigators, the truck, which had been heading for Ho Chi Minh City from Ca Mau southern province, lost control after suddenly having a flat tire.

It veered to the left and that proved fatal on a highway where vehicles are allowed to travel at 120 kilometers per hour. A 16-seat passenger van that was coming from behind could not avoid the truck and crashed into it. The accident happened when all passengers in the van were sleeping.

7) Doctor caused deadly crash (October 7) 

Doctor Tran Anh Huy of Nhi Dong Pediatrics Hospital No. 1 caused a horrific car crash that killed two and seriously injured dozens when his car hit 12 motorbikes stopped at a traffic light on Ho Chi Minh City’s Ly Thai To Street in District 10 from behind.

Huy confessed to the police that he had mistakenly slammed on the accelerator pedal instead of the brake after his car collided with two motorbikes and thus crashed into several other motorbikes waiting for the green light.

As a result, Huy has been charged with violating road rules, causing serious consequences.

Two children killed in Hanoi house collapse (November 3)

Two children died after the second story of a two-storied house in alley No. 22, Ta Quang Buu Street in Hai Ba Trung District of Hanoi crashed to the ground following the explosion of a cooking-gas cylinder at dawn.

Rescuers first found seven-year-old Tran Duy Anh under the debris with severe injuries and then his 14-year-old sister Tran Thi Ngoc Tram. Neither could survive their injuries after being taken to the hospital.

Their father Tran Nhat Minh and mother Nguyen Thi Thu Ngan were earlier pulled out with injuries.

According to investigators, Minh had tried to boil water when the cooking-gas cylinder unexpectedly exploded, causing the second floor of the house to collapse entirely.

9) 10 burnt to death in Binh Thuan road accident (November 7)

Just a month earlier, a container truck traveling southward from Khanh Hoa Central Province crashed into a bus on the opposite lane before hitting another bus from behind on the same lane. As a result, the truck caught fire, killing 10 people stuck inside the bus and injuring 25 others.

10) Truck accident in Nghe An (December 07)

A truck filled with wood products overturned when it was halfway down Pu Uot Mountain in Binh Chuan Commune, Con Cuong District of Nghe An central province, claiming 10 lives and injuring 4, who were crushed under the massive weight of 12 cubic meters of wood.

Shamefully, two officials and one forester were then arrested for their involvement in smuggling the wood products on the truck.

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The US embassy in Thailand warned on Friday that “foreign terrorists” could be looking to conduct attacks in areas of the capital, Bangkok, frequented by tourists and told its citizens in a message to be careful.

Walter Braunohler, spokesman at the embassy, declined to give further details but said: “We’re warning all US citizens to take caution when visiting public areas where Western tourists are known to gather in Bangkok.”

Bangkok, a magnet for tourists with its vibrant nightlife and a transit point for those heading for Thailand’s beaches, has faced political turmoil in recent years but threats of foreign attacks are rare.

source form: tuoitrenews

Culture, beautiful landscapes and reasonable prices have made Vietnam one of the top destinations for tourists from several Asian countries, a recent survey revealed.

International tourists are interested in Vietnam’s cultural identity and exotic landscapes

The Visa Global Travel Intentions Survey 2011 showed that as many as 24% of future tourists to Vietnam would be from Singapore and Thailand, followed by Australian tourists with around 10%.

According to the survey, the number of tourists from South Korean will also increase in the time to come.

Beautiful landscapes, attractive tourism packages and a stable political situation are regarded as the most prominent advantages for Vietnam’s tourism industry for the next two years, the survey noted.

The survey, which interviewed 11,000 tourists from 23 countries, also indicated that up to 64% of asked people are willing to pay more for destinations that offer good food.

In the meanwhile, 63% of surveyed people will spend more on destinations that are famous for landscapes and their unique cultural identity.

Hoang Thi Diep, Deputy Director of Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) cited the survey which found that as many as 53% of international tourists hear about destinations via word of mouth, the same rate as for those who receive information via hotels websites.

“The survey has helped lay the foundations for the country’s tourism promotion plans in the time to come,” Diep added.

source form: dtinews

Top US officials strongly condemned a video that appears to show Marines urinating on dead insurgents in Afghanistan, while the Pentagon said it had identified the unit involved.

US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said the behavior in the video was “utterly deplorable,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke of her “total dismay,” and both vowed that the culprits would be found and punished.

A senior US military official said the Marines believed they had identified the unit at the center of the allegations, which evoked memories of previous abuses committed by US troops in Iraq and during the decade-long Afghan war.

“We cannot release the name of the unit at this time since the incident is being investigated,” a spokesman from the Marines said, referring to images that could spark outrage and unrest in Afghanistan and the wider Muslim world.

US cable network CNN quoted an unnamed US Marine official as saying the military branch was “confident” the troops in the inflammatory video were from the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marine Regiment, based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

The unit deployed to Afghanistan, mainly in Helmand province, in early 2011 and returned in September or October, CNN reported, adding that two of the culprits had been identified but their names were not being made public.

The scandal is the latest to tarnish the image of the US military during a decade of war, from the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in Iraq to more recent convictions of soldiers found to have killed Afghan civilians for sport.

The video appeared to show four servicemen urinating on three bloodied corpses, and one of the men, apparently aware he was being filmed, saying: “Have a great day, buddy,” referring to one of the dead.

Panetta pledged that “those found to have engaged in such conduct will be held accountable to the fullest extent,” and a Pentagon spokesman confirmed a probe into the alleged abuse was under way.

“This conduct is entirely inappropriate for members of the United States military and does not reflect the standards or values our armed forces are sworn to uphold,” Panetta said in a statement.

“I have seen the footage, and I find the behavior depicted in it utterly deplorable. I condemn it in the strongest possible terms.”

Clinton told reporters of her “total dismay at the story concerning our Marines,” and joined Panetta in condemning “the deplorable behavior that is reflected in this video.”

“It is absolutely inconsistent with American values, with the standards of behavior that we expect from our military personnel,” she said.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in a statement that the government of Afghanistan was “deeply disturbed” at the desecration.

“This act by American soldiers is simply inhuman and condemnable in the strongest possible terms,” he said, requesting that the US urgently investigate and “apply the most severe punishment” to anyone found guilty.

The Pentagon says it has not yet verified the footage, which has been broadcast by leading Afghan television station Tolo News and posted on the Live Leak website.

The Taliban, who have made recent moves toward talks to end 10 years of US-led war in the impoverished country, described the apparent abuse as “an inhumane and savage act by the American soldiers in Afghanistan.”

But spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said he did not think it would destroy tentative peace negotiations with the United States, “which at this stage are mainly about prisoner exchange.”

A statement from the Taliban, who have announced their readiness to open a political office in Qatar, said they had increased their “political efforts to come to mutual understanding with the world.”

“But this understanding does not mean a surrender from jihad and neither is it connected to an acceptance of the constitution of the stooge Kabul administration,” it said.

“But rather the Islamic Emirate (the Taliban) is utilizing its political wing alongside its military presence and jihad in order to realize the national and Islamic aspirations of the nation and its martyrs.”

The United States earlier announced that it would send a senior official to meet Karzai next week to see if he will agree to a resumption of preliminary talks with the Taliban. A US official said the talks could open within weeks.

A key Washington demand for any progress in negotiations is that the Taliban accept the Afghan constitution, which mandates protection for the rights of women and minorities, which were stifled during Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001.

Another crucial element would be a renunciation of violence by the Taliban and a break with Al-Qaeda and other “terrorist” groups, the US says.
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My Tam fell out of the Mai Vang music award 2011’s top ten

In addition to Ho Ngoc Ha, singers in the top-ten list included Minh Hang, Dam Vinh Hung, Cam Ly, Thanh Thuy, Noo Phuoc Thinh, Ha Anh Tuan, Duong Trieu Vu, Thu Thuy, and Uyen Trang.

Among those selected, three will be awarded the highest prize for light music, folk music and ‘red’ patriotic music.

The 17th awarding ceremony for Mai Vang music award will be organised in HCM City on January 14 and will be lively broadcasted on HTV9 channel.

After the awards ceremony, a Mai Vang gala programme will be held in HCM City’s Tan Binh District on January 16 to serve over 30,000 workers in Tan Tao District on the occasion of the Tet holiday.

Ho Ngoc Ha topped the list this year

source form: dtinews